memeorandum: Fox News chief's failed attempt to enlist Petraeus as presidential candidate (Bob Woodward/Washington Post)

2:50 PM ET, December 4, 2012

Top Items:

Conservative groups rebel against John Boehner — Several prominent conservative organizations lashed out against a pair of decisions by Speaker John Boehner's leadership team as House Republicans saw their tightly held grip on the right loosen a bit on Monday.

Discussion: Vox Popoli, Boston Globe, Booman Tribune, First Read, Business Insider, CNN and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Palin regrets calling GOP lawmakers ‘wusses’ on deficit talks — One-time Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin apologized for calling some GOP lawmakers “wusses” in their negotiations with Democrats over the “fiscal cliff.” — “Well, I guess I shouldn't call politicians names …

Discussion: CNN and Political Watch

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Reid says Boehner debt plan would raise taxes on middle class — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday slammed Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) debt offer, which Reid said would raise billions of dollars in taxes on middle-class families. — Reid said Boehner would raise taxes …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Ted Barrett / CNN:
Despite Dole appearance, Senate fails to ratify disabilities treaty

Discussion: Politico

CNN:
Distance between Boehner, Obama continued at holiday party

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Jonathan Strong / Roll Call:
Dissidents Pushed Off Prominent Committees

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill, Campaign for America's …, msnbc.com, Hot Air and Hit & Run

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Sarah Palin: Sorry for calling GOP ‘wusses’

Discussion: CNN and msnbc.com

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
Boehner tries to call a mulligan

Discussion: First Read, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Hit & Run, The Hill, Power Line, Prairie Weather, Washington Examiner and Hot Air

Jessica Yellin / CNN:
White House won't counter Boehner's fiscal proposal

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Week, The Hill, Wake up America, ABCNEWS, ABCNEWS, Wonkblog, Jared Bernstein, Taylor Marsh and Weasel Zippers

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Truly Grand Bargain — Sometimes you have to walk through the desert to get to the Promised Land. That's the way it is for Republicans right now. The Republicans are stuck in a miserable position at the end of 2012, but, if they handle things right, they can make 2013 an excellent year …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Washington Post, driftglass, Firedoglake, msnbc.com, Opinionator, the daily howler and Mother Jones

Josh Barro / Bloomberg:

What's Wrong With the Republican Fiscal Cliff Counteroffer — Here are three big problems with the letter they sent to the White House: — 1. It's not really a proposal — it's just a set of headline numbers without specific policies. The letter says Republicans want to cut $900 billion …

Discussion: The Plum Line, Paul Krugman, Business Insider, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Dish, Hullabaloo, Hit & Run, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Wonkblog and Talking Points Memo

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:

Pessimism About Fiscal Cliff Deal, Republicans Still Get More Blame — OVERVIEW — With Washington making little apparent progress in efforts to avoid going over the “fiscal cliff,” public opinion about the situation has changed little over the past three weeks.

Discussion: CBS DC, msnbc.com and Washington Wire

Bob Woodward / Washington Post:

Fox News chief's failed attempt to enlist Petraeus as presidential candidate — Roger Ailes, the longtime Republican media guru, founder of Fox News and its current chairman, had some advice last year for then-Gen. David H. Petraeus. — So in spring 2011, Ailes asked a Fox News analyst headed …

The Fix:

Republicans losing blame game on fiscal cliff — A majority of Americans say that if the country goes over the fiscal cliff on Dec. 31, congressional Republicans should bear the brunt of the blame, according to a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll, the latest sign that the GOP faces …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Agonist, Applesauce, Business Insider and Daily Kos

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Poll finds majority would blame GOP if deficit negotiations fail

Discussion: The Plum Line, CNN, Politico, Prairie Weather and The Fix

Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post:

Elizabeth Warren Wins Senate Banking Committee Seat: Sources … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Elizabeth Warren, Harry Reid , Video, Senate Banking Committee, Banking Committee, Elizabeth Warren Banking Committee, Elizabeth Warren Committees, Elizabeth Warren Senate, Elizabeth Warren Senate Banking …

Discussion: Politico, OpenSecrets.org, The National Memo, Mother Jones, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, msnbc.com and Business Insider

Vicki Needham / The Hill:

Warren tapped for Senate Banking panel — Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of the banking sector's harshest critics, is being tapped to serve on the Senate Banking Committee. — The Harvard law professor who built her public image primarily as a fierce critic of Wall Street …

Noah Bierman / Boston Globe:
Elizabeth Warren likely to get Senate Banking Committee assignment

Discussion: The Raw Story

David Dayen / Firedoglake: Report: Warren to Get Spot on Senate Banking Committee

Manu Raju / Politico:

Ashley Judd exploring Senate run — Ashley Judd vs. Mitch McConnell? — It might not be as far-fetched as you think. — The Hollywood movie star and eighth-generation Kentuckian is seriously exploring a 2014 run for the Senate to take on the powerful Republican leader, four people familiar with the matter tell POLITICO.

Discussion: The Fix, Hot Air, The Week, LifeNews.com, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, Post Politics, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, In Session, Zandar Versus The Stupid, The Powers That Be and Shakesville

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:

Better-Looking, Spunkier Senator From Kentucky Now a Possibility — In 1964, George Murphy was elected as the junior senator from California. Murphy, a Republican, had been a song-and-dance man in the thirties and forties, appearing in Hollywood musicals.

Discussion: Politico

New York Post:

Queens dad pushed to his death by madman in Times Square subway station — Ki Suk Han, 58, of Queens frantically tries to climb to safety yesterday as a train bears down on him in Midtown. He was fatally struck seconds later. — A Queens dad trying to protect fellow straphangers …

Discussion: Gawker, Capital New York, BBC, Gothamist, The Week, City Room, New York Magazine, The Raw Story, Forbes, Daily Download, Outside the Beltway, Poynter, AMERICAblog and Daily Mail, more at Mediagazer »

Tom Benning / Trail Blazers Blog:

Former President George W. Bush calls for ‘benevolent spirit’ in immigration debate — Former President George W. Bush, speaks at the 4 Percent Growth Project: immigration and economic growth conference, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on December 4, 2012. (Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News)

Discussion: Post Politics

Justin Sink / The Hill:
George W. Bush urges ‘benevolent’ immigration reform debate

Discussion: CNN

National Review:

Filibluster — Filibuster “reform” — intermittently called, over the last decade or so, the “nuclear option” — is something of a moving target. We have consistently maintained that a majority of the Senate may constitutionally curtail the filibuster or leave it as it is.

Discussion: A plain blog about politics and Booman Tribune

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:
The Democrats' Strange Zeal for Filibuster Reform

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Mother Jones:

Exclusive: Dick Armey Quits Tea Party Group in Split Over Direction — In a move not publicly announced, former Rep. Dick Armey, the folksy conservative leader, has resigned as chairman of FreedomWorks, one of the main political outfits of the conservative movement and an instrumental force within the tea party.

Discussion: Associated Press, BuzzFeed, Trail Blazers Blog, CNN, Washington Examiner, Outside the Beltway, Ballot Box, Post Politics, New York Magazine, Prairie Weather, Politico, Connecting.the.Dots and The Raw Story

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

House Democrats file petition to force vote on middle class tax rates — House Democrats on Tuesday filed a discharge petition that would force the House to vote on the Senate's bill to extend the Bush-era tax levels for the middle class, but allow rates to rise for the wealthy.

Discussion: Politico and Daily Kos

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Obama: Susan Rice ‘highly qualified,’ but no decision yet on next Secretary of State — Obama on Tuesday continued his staunch defense of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, while insisting no decision had been made on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's replacement.

Discussion: Politico

Politico:

The Rubio, Ryan makeovers — Behind the Curtain: About this weekly feature — Behind the Curtain is a reported column, Web show and online conversation about the behind-the-scenes intrigue that shapes politics and policy. It will unfold every Tuesday (and beyond, when news dictates).

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and CNN

Washington Post:

U.S. pushes to restart peace talks with Taliban — The Obama administration has launched a post-election push to restart moribund peace talks with the Taliban, despite resistance from the U.S. military, mixed signals from Pakistan and outright refusal by the militants themselves, according to U.S. officials.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Hot Air